1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus which prevents a vehicle from gaining access to or exiting from a particular location. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle barrier which is portable, light weight and is easily moved from one location to another location without the use of heavy equipment to move the barrier.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Currently, there are in use a variety of barrier systems which will either prevent a vehicle from leaving a location such as a parking lot or from accessing a location such as a restricted government facility or a military installation. For example, parking lots have spikes which allow a vehicle to exit the lot but do not allow the vehicle to reenter the lot without deflating and causing sever damage to the vehicle""s tires. However, this type of vehicle barrier is not portable.
Concrete barriers are another means for preventing an automobile, truck or other moving vehicle from entering or leaving a location. While concrete barriers are an effective means for preventing access to a particular location such as a Government building the barriers are very heavy requiring cranes and trucks to move the barriers from one location to another location. In addition, a significant amount of time is required to move concrete barriers from one location to another location.
Unfortunately, barriers used in the past often rely on their own weight, size and mass to prevent stop and/or movement of vehicle, such as an automobile or truck, to or from a particular location. These vehicle barriers do not address the need to deploy vehicle barriers quickly without the use of heavy construction equipment, especially in an emergency go situation.
Vehicle barriers that have been developed for rapid deployment without the use of heavy construction equipment rely on deflating the tires of a moving vehicle trying to enter or leave a site which may be, for example, a restricted area such as a military installation. These vehicle barriers generally deflate the vehicle""s tires in an attempt to stop the vehicle""s tires. The deflating of a moving vehicle""s tire does not necessarily mean that the vehicle will become disabled and the driver may loose control of the vehicle causing property damage and injury to the driver as well injury to individuals in the path of the vehicle. Further, a vehicle can run on puncture resistant tires, i.e. tires filled with foam or other material.
Accordingly, there is a need for a light weight, portable and rapidly deployable vehicle barrier which effectively stop a moving vehicle without causing property damage and serious injury to the driver or other individuals in the vicinity of the vehicle.
The present invention overcomes some of the disadvantages of the past including those mentioned above in that it comprises a relatively simple in design yet highly effective portable vehicle barrier which when deployed will disable and stop a moving vehicle. This, in turn, will prevent property damage and serious injury to the driver of the vehicle and any individual in the vicinity of the vehicle.
Portable vehicle barrier comprises a generally rectangular shaped barrier device in the form of net. The net system of the portable vehicle barrier disables a moving vehicle and stops its movement in the vehicle""s direction of travel. The rectangular shaped net system includes a plurality of elongated cables which are evenly spaced apart and a plurality of cross cables which are evenly spaced apart and are perpendicular to the elongated cables of the net system.
Each cross cable of the net system intersects the elongated cables of the net system at a plurality of intersection points. The net system has a trailing array comprising the last three cross cables of the net system and a lead array comprising the first three cross cables of the net system.
Coupled to each intersection point of the trailing array of the net system on the under side of the net system is a spike and its associated dome shaped cover. Coupled to each intersection point of the lead array of the net system on the upper side of the net system is a spike and its associated dome shaped cover.
The trailing array of the net system is folded over the net system at a fold such that each of the dome shaped covers of the net system are in contact with the tires of a vehicle as the vehicle passes over vehicle barrier.
The front wheel of a vehicle approaching the portable vehicle barrier first passes over the lead array of the net system. After the front wheels of the vehicle passes over the lead array, the dome shaped covers for the spikes of the lead array are jettisoned. This exposes the spikes of the lead array to the rear tires of the vehicle.
The dome shaped covers for each of the spikes of the trailing array are also jettisoned which results in the spikes of the trailing array being exposed to front tires of the vehicle. This results in the front tires of the vehicle being punctured by and adhering to the spikes of the trailing array and the rear tires being punctured by and adhering to the spikes of the lead array. The net system is now configured to prevent rotational movement of the front and rear tires of the vehicle, preventing further movement of the vehicle in the direction of vehicle travel. When vehicle movement ceases, the lead array of the net system is wrapped around the front tires and the trailing array of the net system is wrapped around the rear tires.